The Yule Ball - Hermione's Story
by elliedelacour
Summary: Hermione's version of the events at the Yule Ball, plus her version of events before and during (stuff that was hinted at in the book, but never explained). How and when did Krum ask her? Where did she get that beautiful dress? What does she think of Ron? What do she and Krum do when they're together? What really happened at the Yule Ball? Romantic and cute.
1. Chapter 1: Will you?

Hermione was taking a break from the loud chaos of the common room in the library, her wavy hair pulled back in a French braid and tied with a red ribbon. She was wearing a tight green knit sweater and dark wash skinny jeans, since it was break and students were allowed to wear Muggle clothing. The girl was happy about this as she found that these clothes were much more practical.

Curled up in a cozy armchair in the back corner of the library with a heavy book in her lap, Hermione seemed, to anyone watching, totally engrossed in her research.

In reality, she was daydreaming about the Yule Ball. In her mind's eye she could see herself in a beautiful lavender blue dress, her hair smooth and in an elaborate updo, a sparkling necklace around her neck, swirling gracefully across the shining dance floor with her tall, handsome partner.

"Stop imagining things that will never come true" Hermione told herself sternly. The idea of her being the most beautiful girl at the ball was almost laughable. She had heard Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl bragging about how she got her dress custom made by a very famous and expensive wizarding designer, and her jewellery sent from a wizarding shop in Paris. Hermione assumed that many other girls were doing the same.

Though Hermione did have a pretty dress and a silver chain necklace, they were very simple, especially compared to the daydreams of gorgeous dresses she had been having all afternoon.

"Besides" Hermione reminded herself bitterly "that's the least of your worries"

The Yule Ball was only three days away, and no one had asked her yet. Hermione told herself it didn't matter what her dress looked like, she would go to the Ball in a potato sack paired with Luna's radish earrings, if it meant having a partner.

Lost in thought, Hermione didn't notice the soft footsteps coming up behind her until someone's shadow obscured the page of the text she had been pretending to read.

She turned, and to her surprise, saw Viktor Krum standing next to her, with what seemed to be a nervous expression on his usually impassive face.

"Erm, hello" he said, not meeting her eyes, his cheeks slightly pink "How are you Hermi-own?"

Hermione stared at him. She knew that Krum spent a lot of time in the library; he was there almost as much as she was; yet she had never seen him try talk to anyone.

Hermione ran her fingers nervously through the tail of her braid. "Oh I'm fine," she said, trying to keep her voice light, as if she talked to internationally famous Quidditch players every day "Your fan club isn't here I see? And how did you know my name?" She asked softly her cheeks reddening slightly.

Krum didn't answer. He was practically sitting the arm of her chair now, staring at her; his strong frame only inches from her own. Hermione looked around the library and realized with a jolt of nerves that even Madame Pince was gone. Hermione and Krum were the only ones there.

Krum seemed to be building up the nerve to say something. He took a deep breath:

"Vell I know your name because, because, I've been coming to the library every day trying to get up the nerve to ask you this" he said, looking down at her from where he was sitting on the arm of her chair, his dark eyes locked on her own. "Hermi-own, I was vondering, if you… Vere vanting to go to the ball vith me?"

Hermione barely stopped herself from letting out a gasp and felt her face go even more red. She could hardly believe that Krum wanted to go to the ball with her. Just two minutes ago she would have been happy if a troll had asked her, and here was Viktor Krum, Durmstang champion. She opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out. She was usually so quick with her wits, yet in front of him she struggled to form a coherent thought.

Krum's cheeks reddened and he sighed, "I should have guessed you must be going vith someone already. Sorry to bother you." He turned to walk away and his shoulders slumped. He had interpreted her silence as a rejection, and assumed she already had a partner.

"Wait!" Hermione called after him, and Krum turned back around. Hermione twisted her fingers through her hair nervously again, "I'd love to go with you, its just…" she looked for a non-lame excuse of why she hadn't answered him earlier "it's just, I'm not a very good dancer" she finished, embarrassed. This of course wasn't strictly true, Hermione was actually quite a good dancer.

"Vell," Viktor Krum said, with a smile that made Hermione's heart flutter "they do say that practice makes perfect" and he held out a hand. Hermione took it, and allowed herself to be swept up into his arms. They weren't dancing though, in fact they weren't moving at all, but Hermione found that she didn't really mind somehow. They stood close together in the empty library, her hands on his strong shoulders and his hands grazing her hips.

His deep brown eyes met her hazel ones and Hermione felt as if a million butterflies were flying around in her stomach. She could stay this way forever. His hands were holding her tighter now, clamped around her waist, pulling her towards him.

Hermione could feel her heart thudding in her chest, and for a split second she thought he might lean in and kiss her, when at that moment, Madam Pince strutted into the library. The two students leapt apart hurriedly, and Hermione started to gather her things, flustered.

"Meet me by the stairs to the entrance hall before the ball" Hermione stammered quietly, as Madam Pince was very strict about not talking in the library. "I have to get going, I've got to be meeting someone. Goobye Krum!"

Hermione turned to walk away, her denim messenger bag slung over one shoulder, and this time it was he who called after her:

"Vait!" he said loudly, catching her small hand with both his own "Call me Viktor"

**So that's the end of the first chapter, another one is coming in less than an hour, only a few more paragraphs to write. Hope you liked it! Please, please review comments; suggestions and criticism are all really appreciated, as this is my first fanfiction! Favorite and follow if you really like it! **


	2. Chapter 2: Date Drama

On the way back to the common room Hermione couldn't stop smiling. She also couldn't wait to tell Ginny all about what had happened in the library. Just then, she turned a corner to the stairway and saw Neville and his legs trapped in a trick stair.

"Hey Hermione!" he called, his face flushed. "A little help please?"

Hermione smiled, a little distractedly, and pointed her wand at him.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_" she intoned. Neville shot out of the trick step like a cork out of a bottle, and much to Hermione's surprise, landed shakily on his feet.

"Thanks" he said, and Hermione noticed that his voice seemed a bit higher than usual. There was a rather awkward pause, where none of them said anything.

"So Hermione" Neville asked "I was wondering if you would like to go to the ball with me?" Neville said this all rather fast, so it took Hermione a second before she understood what he was asking. She stopped smiling rather abruptly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Neville, I really am" she stammered, running her fingers through her already messy braid, "but someone's already asked me, and I said yes." With a sad smile, Hermione walked past him up the stairs.

"Oh my gosh I cant believe it!" Ginny squealed. The two girls were sitting in an empty corner of the common room on a comfy red couch. The fire was crackling merrily nearby, and Hermione was nibbling on a star shaped sugar cookie. Fred and George had snuck into the kitchens again and the tables of the common room were laden with delicious Christmas treats.

Hermione had just finished telling Ginny all about her encounter with Viktor that morning in the library.

"Honestly Ginny," Hermione said, fighting to keep the tremor out of her voice, "I'm a little nervous. I'm bound to get heaps of dirty looks, therefore my plan is not to tell anyone who I'm going with until they see me at the ball!" she whispered.

"You're the only one who knows we're partners, besides Krum, of course." Hermione let out a high-pitched giggle, which she rarely did, as she generally associated giggling with people like Lavender Brown.

"I'm not used to being the center of attention," Hermione said nervously "what if people laugh at me or think its all a big joke, that Krum and I going together."

"Hermione!" Ginny half-yelled in mock anger "I promise you, no one will laugh, if anything they'll cry with jealousy. That's what I almost did" Ginny joked, tossing her red hair over her shoulder.

"But honestly Hermione," she said, her voice suddenly serious "you deserve this, and Krum could have practically any girl in the school and he asked you. He sees something special in you, I know it, and everyone else does too."

Hermione smiled, and hoped with all her heart that Ginny would find a partner for the dance now that Harry seemed to be set on asking Cho.

"Now" Ginny said with a mischievous smile "What about Ron? Are you going to tell him? I mean I know you had a thing for him"

Hermione waved her hand airily. "Actually, no offense Ginny, but Ron's been acting really superficial lately. You know, he told me that he would go to the ball with the prettiest girl who would go with him, no matter what their personality was. I bet he's going to ask that bossy Fleur girl, not that I think she'll say yes. "

Ginny shrugged "Oh well you know Ron, he can be a prat, so insensitive sometimes. Viktor Krum is a much better option."

The next day was also the day before the Yule Ball, which started at eight the following night. Hermione was sitting alone at a round table in the common room finishing her Potions essay that was due at the end of break. She was facing the window and could see the golden sun, lowering in the horizon over the frozen lake, and the dark shadow of the Durmstang ship, wedged in the ice like a black smudge on an otherwise white canvas.

Hermione had been at the sitting in the common room for almost three hours now, Crookshanks curled up on her lap. The essay Snape was making them write on Girding Potions was supposed to be a foot long, and would normally have taken Hermione much less time to complete. Except for the fact that her mind seemed to only be thinking about one thing: Viktor Krum.

They had met again in the library this morning. To Hermione's dismay or relief, she wasn't sure which, there were other people in the library, and so the "dance practice" episode of yesterday had not been repeated.

Instead they had sat at a dark mahogany table at the back of the library and buried their faces in large books. They were only pretending to read, and used the books to hide their faces from Viktor's fan club as they stalked into the library.

Viktor it seemed, was just as keen as Hermione to keep their relationship a secret until the ball. He knew that Karkaroff would not approve of him taking a Muggle-born to the dance, and he told Hermione so. Krum also told her, in a soft whisper from behind his book, that he didn't care what Karkaroff thought, but if his headmaster found out about them before the ball, he might conspire to break them apart.

The pair chatted for hours and skipped lunch, preferring each other's company too much to depart. They talked about their schools mostly, and about their home countries. Krum seemed fascinated by her, as she told him about her time at school and her life before Hogwarts.

Viktor was much more down-to-earth than what she had expected from such a famous professional Quidditch player. He told her all about his home in Bulgaria, and he spoke about it with such a longing in his voice, Hermione could tell he really missed it. He also spoke about how much he liked Hogwarts, how everyone here was so much friendlier than at Durmstang, the castle much nicer as well. Viktor also mentioned, with a sly grin, how much prettier the girls here were, though he only had eyes for one.

The sound of the portrait hole opening startled Hermione out of her reverie. Ron, accompanied by Ginny and a group of chattering girls clambered into the common room. Ron's looked paler than usual, the freckles dotting his nose much more pronounced. Harry who had just arrived in the common room as well, jumped up to join Ron.

The two boys and Ginny talked in whispers as Hermione stood up (with a yowl of protest from Crookshanks) and packed her things. She walked towards couch by the fire, where the three of them were sitting.

"What happened?" she asked as soon as she got there, seeing the look of despair on Ron's and Harry's faces.

Ginny looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh. "They both got turned down by girls they asked to the ball." The red-haired girl then launched into the story of how Ron had asked out Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons Champion. He had, of course, been rejected.

Ron looked extremely dejected. "I'll never be able to find a date" he moaned, his eyes wide and panicked. "Neville told me he asked you, by the way." he said, glancing at Hermione. There was a pause. Then Ron seemed to realize something. He was staring at Hermione like he had never seen a girl before.

"Hey Hermione," he said slowly, a crafty look on his face "Neville's right – you are a girl"

"Oh, well spotted" Hermione sniffed. She knew what was coming next. She decided she would let him down easy, as long as he asked politely.

"Since you're not going with anyone," Ron continued "you can come with one of us!" He said, in a tone that implied he was doing Hermione a great favour by asking her.

Hermione could hardly believe her ears. Ron was still smiling complacently, like he was some sort of merciful god doing Hermione a great favour and waiting to be thanked.

"No, I can't go with you." she snapped.

"Oh come on" he said impatiently "we need partners, we're going to look really pathetic if we haven't got any and everybody else has …"

"I can't come with you." Hermione responded, and she could feel her cheeks reddening. She definitely was not going to tell Ron about Krum if she could help it. "I'm already going with someone."

"No, you're not!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

"Oh did I?" said Hermione, and each word was as razor sharp as the fangs of a Horntail. "Just because it's taken _you _three years to notice, Ronald, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

Ron stared at her for a moment. Then he grinned.

"Okay, Okay, I know you're a girl" he said. "Will you come _now_?"

It took all of Hermione's willpower not to scream at him. The prat didn't even seem to realize how insulting his words were.

"Since you didn't get the memo Ronald," she hissed, her tone venomous. "I'm going with someone else!"

With that Hermione turned on her heel and stormed off in the direction of the girls dormitories.

As she walked away she heard Ron's disbelieving voice, followed by Ginny's quiet response:

"She's lying."

"She's not."

**Note: Parts of the last section of dialogue between Ron and Hermione were in the Goblet of Fire, but since this is Hermione's version I had to include it to get her side of the story in.**

**I hope you liked it! Please please please please review and tell me what you think, criticisms and suggestions really are appreciated as this is my first fanfiction. Favorite and follow if you really like it! (This sounds like an advert aha sorry, might as well keep it this way since I'm almost done.) There will be much more drama in the next chapter… Guaranteed or your money back! :) – Ellie**


	3. Chapter 3: The Dress

Hermione woke up late the next morning. The sun cast rectangular shadows along the floor of the girls' dormitory, and dust swirled lazily in the beams of yellow light. Crisp frost coated the windows in beautiful flowing patterns. She wondered if maybe she should go back to sleep, when she saw a pile of brightly wrapped presents waiting at the foot of her bed and she sat bolt upright– it was Christmas!

Lavender and Parvati had just woken up as well, and together they started to unwrap their presents. After opening her gifts, her favourites being a pair of white furry earmuffs from Harry and a box of delicious Honeydukes chocolate from Ron, Hermione decided she would head down to the great hall for a late Christmas breakfast.

Hermione had a hard time focusing that morning. All she could think about was the ball as she changed out of her pyjamas into a cute burgundy skirt and a long-sleeve gray top. She ran a brush through her unruly hair and secured it in a high ponytail with a matching ribbon. Hermione smiled at herself in the mirror, everything was going to go great today – she could feel it.

Hermione sat between Ginny and Harry, and across from Ron in the Great Hall. They too, were enjoying the leisurely sleep-ins offered during Christmas break and had arrived at breakfast a just few minutes earlier than she had.

The Great Hall looked very bare. It had not yet been decorated for Christmas. Dumbledore had decided to unveil the decorations at the Yule Ball. Hermione bet that they would be even more spectacular than usual this year, to impress their guests.

She served herself a bowl of steaming porridge as Ron started on his fifth sausage. Neither of them had mentioned the incident of last night, and Hermione had decided that it didn't really matter that Ron had insulted her; she wasn't going to the ball with him anyways.

Plus Ron seemed remorseful. He kept on offering to pass Hermione the pumpkin juice and pancakes, and whenever he talked to her it was in the same very polite voice she was using to talk to him. He also seemed to have accepted the fact that Hermione had a date to the ball, and tried to get her to tell him who it was.

"You won't believe me anyways," said Hermione, with a mischievous smile.

After breakfast the four of them left the hall, and Ron asked, for what seemed the millionth time that morning, who Hermione's partner was. Hermione's response was interrupted by a cold voice behind her.

"Well that's a shock" Malfoy drawled to Pansy and Goyle, "Who would ask _that _to the ball?"

Out of the corner of her eye Hermione saw Ron turn to lunge at Malfoy and Harry had to grab him by the arms to hold it back.

"Not worth it" she hissed to Ron and Harry. Oh how she wished she could tell Malfoy who had asked her, just to see the look on his pointed face, but decided that his reaction would be even better when he saw her at the ball. Instead Hermione looked behind Draco's head, and called "Hello Professor Moody!"

Malfoy jumped and swiveled his head around as Harry and Ron roared with laughter.

"Twitchy little ferret aren't you Malfoy?" Hermione smiled, and walked up the stairs.

After enjoying a snowball fight with the boys outside, Ginny and Hermione met up to get ready for the ball. They had decided to use the girl's bathroom on the seventh floor to get prepare, as the Gryffindor girls' bathroom was a total madhouse. Hermione had just gotten out of the shower and was applying liberal amounts of Sleekezy's Hair Potion to her hair when Pansy Parkinson and her Slytherin friends walked in to the bathroom, carrying their dresses and bulging bags of cosmetics.

"Granger!" Pansy said, her tone amused, "I can't believe someone asked _you _to the ball. Tell me, how long did it take you to brew enough love potion for them to not notice what you looked like?" The Slytherin girls shrieked with laughter.

"Ignore them" Hermione sing-songed to Ginny in a quiet voice.

Hermione watched in the mirror as Pansy's eyes flashed with jealousy at Hermione's now sleek hair, which she was pulling into an elegant updo. Then Pansy's small beady eyes filled with malice as they fell upon Hermione's simple midnight blue dress, hanging in a corner of the bathroom.

"Oh, what a lovely dress" she simpered, unscrewing the cap of her _Magic Instant-Blonde_ shampoo. "I think it would look better in a lighter color." Before Hermione could react, Pansy flourished her arm and the gold liquid from the bottle sloshed onto the dress.

Wherever it touched, messy splatters of light lavender blue appeared on the dress. Hermione could smell singed fabric and she fought back tears. Her dress was ruined. She picked up her dress and cosmetics bag and tore out of the bathroom, Ginny at her heels.

**Sorry that I haven't posted for a while. To be honest I completely forgot about this account, but while I was looking up something to read I found this and was like "that looks familiar.." :) **

**Anyways here you go I really hope you like it dont forget to follow if you want! Also REVIEW because I'd love to hear your thoughts/suggestions/comments! - Ellie**


	4. Chapter 4: Trust me

Hermione turned a corner slowed to a walk. She stared at her dress in dismay, the midnight fabric was splattered with pale blue stains, and holes had been burned in the shiny fabric. Even worse most of the damage was to the top half of the dress. She slumped against the cold wall and Ginny sat down next to her.

"I just wanted one night." Hermione said, her voice trembling "I was going to be beautiful, and Krum would be there, I really like him you know. What will he think when I don't show up?" Her face was streaked with tears, "I need a new dress, and that's darn near impossible to find. No one brings two dresses to Hogwarts, and I can't very well go in my school uniform!"

She buried her face in her hands, and thought that if she had a fairy godmother, now would be a good time for her to make an appearance.

"Hermione, get a hold of yourself!" Ginny exclaimed, "There are still two hours until the ball which is plenty of time for us to fix this. You are going to go to the ball with Krum, and you are going to look gorgeous, and I'm gonna help you. Got it?"

Hermione looked unconvinced, "You have a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan," the red haired girl replied "just trust me."

* * *

><p>They were outside the door to the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor. They weren't prefects but thanks to Fred and George, Ginny knew the password. After checking that no one was around, Ginny whispered, "Pine fresh" and the girls entered, locking the door behind them.<p>

The bathroom was made of shining white marble and a bathtub the size of a small swimming pool sat in the centre. A sparkling golden chandelier lit the room with a warm glow, and a painting of a dozing mermaid with blonde hair hung on the wall.

Ginny sat down on the floor and motioned for Hermione to join her.

"Okay we have an hour to repair this dress" Ginny said spreading it out on the floor, "We should be able to repair it in half that if we work quickly".

"You mean we're going to fix it with magic?" Hermione said, her voice rising "but that's so risky! What if I accidentally transfigure it into a potato sack, or cut a hole right in the middle or wha-"

"What do you have to lose?" Ginny said, successfully cutting her off.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue but realized that Ginny was right. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? She didn't need a fairy godmother to fix her dress when she had magic of her own.

* * *

><p>Ginny was right, Hermione thought; it had taken a bit less than an hour to repair the dress. After Ginny went into a stall to get changed, Hermione made a few more changes to the gown. She was much more confident now that she had gotten the hang of transfiguring and repairing the dress. At the beginning her hands had shaken at the prospect of cutting off a few inches of the damaged fabric.<p>

Ginny stepped out of the stall looking amazing in a floor length strapless silver dress that shone like liquid moonlight and swished around her legs as she walked. A slit up the side showed off her long legs and her red hair hung straight silky smooth down her back.

"Your turn!" she smiled "Go try it on!"

A few minutes later Hermione stepped out of the stall. "How do I look?"

Ginny squealed with joy and jumped up and down in excitement "Hermione, you look stunning," she said "I can hardly wait to see the look on Pansy's face when you walk in."

* * *

><p>Hermione shifted nervously as she waited just around the corner near the stairs to the entrance hall. Ginny had insisted on going ahead of her so she could watch Pansy's expression.<p>

After a few more minutes tense waiting, Hermione turned the corner and started to make her way down the stairs. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the Entrance Hall turn towards her. Normally she would have been embarrassed to have so many people staring at her - but not tonight. She noticed Krum waiting for her at the foot of the stairs, and wondered if this was what Cinderella had felt like once upon a time.

Hermione lifted the beautiful lavender blue skirt of her gown as she stepped gracefully down the stairs, exposing a delicate strappy silver heel. The fabric was smooth beneath her fingers. She was wearing the same dress she had been imagining while pretending to read in the library just before Krum asked her to the ball.

It had a sweetheart neckline, capped sleeves made of white lace, and a low back. The snug bodice was fitted to just above her hips where it blossomed into a skirt that seemed to float to the ground, a border of white lace just skimming the floor.

Hermione would never have had the nerve to buy this sort of dress for herself. Her dress had been much more conservative before, as her mother had helped choose it, with sleeves to her elbows and a prim row of buttons up the back.

However she found that she liked this dress much better. It was somewhere between sexy and girly, Hermione thought, sort of innocent and daring at the same time.

Her thick hair was pulled away from her face in a pretty half-updo decorated with small periwinkle flowers. The rest of her hair cascaded in soft curls down her bare back.

She spotted Ginny across the room, who was one of the only people not staring at Hermione in awe. That was only because she was staring at Pansy who, Hermione was pleased to see, looked positively green with envy. Next to her, Draco's mouth hung open as he looked in confusion from her to Krum.

She had finally reached the bottom of the stairs, where Viktor was waiting for her. He looked dashing in his dress robes and his dark eyes stared at her in amazement.

"Hermione you look stunning," he said, taking both her hands so that they were facing each other. Even though she was wearing heels, he was still taller than she was so Hermione had to tilt her head to look at him. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and wondered if he too could feel the sparks of electricity that seemed to dance between them. She looked into his eyes and was fighting the urge to pull him closer when—

"Champions over here please!" McGonagall's shrill voice brought Hermione back to the moment and she jumped back her cheeks pink. Viktor smiled and linked his arm with hers, leading her to the door where the other champions waited.

* * *

><p><strong>So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be out soon! FollowFavorite to stay posted :)**

**Also, I've just published the first chapter of my second story– if you liked this story you should check it out in my profile if you are interested! :)**

**Also it would really make my day if you left a Review, I really really love reading them. Please tell me what you think of the story so far or if you have any questions/suggestions!**

**Thanks to everyone for all the support already and for reading this story, I really appreciate it :) - Ellie**


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